About You had previously ended its collaboration with Kliemann.
(Photo: IMAGO/APress)
Dusseldorf The aid organization Viva con Agua, the energy supplier EWE and the CBD shop Vaay are ending their collaboration with the YouTuber and entrepreneur Fynn Kliemann. The companies announced this on Monday.
The trigger was the reporting by ZDF Magazin Royale about an alleged mask fraud. On Friday, Jan Böhmermann stated on his show that Kliemann is said to have knowingly deceived customers and the public.
At the beginning of the corona pandemic in 2020, Kliemann switched the production of his textile company Oderso from sweaters to fabric masks. These should be “cheap, fair and from Europe”. In 2020 he was even awarded the German Sustainability Prize for the business model.
Instead of in Portugal, however, the masks sold and marketed by Kliemann are said to have been produced in Bangladesh and Vietnam. The YouTuber also did not sell the masks at cost, as stated. Fynn Kliemann and his business partner Tom Illbruck from Global Tactics are said to have made a profit of around one million euros from the deals.
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In addition, Böhmermann accused the entrepreneurs of having passed on the first batch of 100,000 unusable masks from Bangladesh to refugees in Greece and Bosnia. In the reporting, the two entrepreneurs were celebrated for the “donation”.
Viva con Agua: Incompatible with our values
Above all, Viva con Agua, a Hamburg NGO that supports projects for clean drinking water worldwide, was a long-standing partner of Kliemann. In an official statement on the website, the aid organization said: “The events described are in stark contrast to our values and our idea of community-oriented entrepreneurship.” Viva con Agua is therefore ending all business relationships with Kliemann and his companies. The aid organization had advertised prominently with him until the very end.
In addition to Viva Con Agua, EWE and Vaay, the second division club FC St. Pauli, the online fashion retailer About You and Tafel Deutschland ended their collaboration with Kliemann at the weekend. Tafel Deutschland justified the step with the lost trust in the influencer. He had collected donations when renting out his holiday homes, but did not manage them transparently. He was also stripped of the German Sustainability Award.
Kliemann is now not only feeling the consequences of the companies and business partners, but also those of his fans. Since the scandal became known, thousands of followers have unfollowed him on his social media channels.
He finally acknowledged the allegations: “I would like to formally apologize to everyone (…) who is disappointed and shocked at first glance. I ask for your forgiveness and for a differentiated view of all perspectives.” In his video statement, Kliemann stated that About You and other wholesalers were informed about the countries of origin of the masks.
A survey by the market research company Appinio, which is available exclusively to the Handelsblatt, shows that the scandal is causing massive damage to Kliemann’s image. 60 percent of those surveyed who have heard of Fynn Kliemann have only known him since the scandal became known. But Kliemann not only increased his fame through the mask affair. Respondents are also convinced that the entrepreneur will never recover from this scandal.
More: “Crisis can also be cool” – Youtuber Fynn Kliemann criticized after Böhmermann revelations